Floodwaters receding in Plymouth

January 11, 2008|By ADAM JACKSON Tribune Staff Writer

PLYMOUTH Â? The worst is now past for the Plymouth flood of 2008 Â? but the hardest work may be yet to come. At a press conference held this morning at Plymouth City Hall, Mayor Mark Senter and Police Chief Jim Cox announced that the Yellow River is beginning to recede from a high of 15.12 feet reached on Thursday.

"As of 12:30 a.m. Friday, the river was at 14.9 feet," Cox said. "Hopefully, it has leveled off."

The river never reached its forecast crest of 16 feet, due in part to the fact that a storm system that passed through the region did not drop as much rain as expected in the region.

Still, the melting snow and rain did produce major flooding in the city, which Senter said will be coping with its effects for some time to come.

"We have 45 residences and a number of businesses that experienced some degree of flooding," he said. "Now, we just request that residents who were displaced by the water be patient as we work to get them back in their homes."

Senter said that no residents had to be ordered to evacuate, although they were "strongly encouraged" to leave their homes when the flood waters began to rise. Although emergency responders have maintained a constant vigil, no emergency rescues were needed to free residents trapped by flooding.

"For the most part, people were very cooperative," DNR Conservation Officer Ken Dowdle said. "There are always a few who give you a little grief."

Senter said that no residents who left their home took advantage of a shelter set up by the local American Red Cross office.

ThatÂ?s not to say that the damage was not severe. Senter noted that utility service, including gas and electric, was cut to many homes, and it could be some time before those services are restored to everyone.

"We will be working with NIPSCO to determine the best Â? and safest way to restore service," Senter said. "We are hoping to come up with a kind of checklist for people returning to their homes so they can take the necessary actions."

One caution that officials are still emphasizing is to stay out of the floodwaters, which pose both health and drowning risks. Cox said that there have been a number of incidents over the past couple of days in which youths were caught attempting to launch canoes or rubber rafts into the waters.

"We really want to emphasize that people need to keep out of these waters," he said. "This is still a very dangerous situation."

And, potentially, a very expensive one. While no damage estimates have been determined, Senter said that his office will be working with Marshall County Emergency Management Director Clyde Avery to assess the damage, and determine if the city will be able to qualify for state or federal flood relief money.

Whether that comes to pass or not, the receding flood waters are sure to leave a big mess behind.

"There is going to be a lot of trash and mud to clean up when those waters go down," Senter said. "The Plymouth Street Department is going to be focusing on how to go about cleaning that up."

Cox said that the incident command center set up to deal with the emergency will probably remain in operation throughout the weekend.